Fogbow

ORLANDO, Fla. - A resolution to the politically charged conflict that developed this year between the state of Florida and the Walt Disney Company may reportedly be in the works.

The state's lawmakers are working on plans to reverse a move that would strip Disney of its right to operate a private government around its theme parks, according to the Financial Times.

It would potentially resolve the fallout from the "Don’t Say Gay" controversy that dragged the entertainment giant into the culture wars. 

In April, the Florida legislature voted to dissolve Disney’s 55-year-old special tax district following a public feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and then-chief executive Bob Chapek.

The conflict was over a new state law restricting discussion of LGBTQ issues in classrooms.  

During the three-day trial this week challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, attorneys for Warren were able to put that question to aides for DeSantis, who called Florida the place where “woke goes to die” in his victory speech after being reelected last month.

Jean-Jacques Cabou, Warren’s attorney, noted DeSantis referred to Warren in his announcement of the suspension as a “woke ideologue” who “masqueraded” as a prosecutor. Then he asked some DeSantis officials what “woke” means to them.

Taryn Fenske, DeSantis’ Communications Director said “woke” was a “slang term for activism … progressive activism” and a general belief in systemic injustices in the country.

Ryan Newman, DeSantis’ General Counsel, echoed the part about systemic injustices, specifically regarding the criminal justice system.

“To me it means someone who believes that there are systemic injustices in the criminal justice system and on that basis they can decline to fully enforce and uphold the law,” Newman said.

Asked what “woke” means more generally, Newman said “it would be the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.”

Newman added that DeSantis doesn’t believe there are systemic injustices in the U.S. He also emphasized he believed Warren’s “wokeism” led him to sign the pledge not to prosecute abortion crimes, the primary factor that led to his suspension.

Kent Stermon, aka Ron DeSantis’ bestie, killed himself on Thursday. He was under criminal investigation for sex crimes

High-profile political donor, who was found dead Thursday, had access card to JSO headquarters

Scott Johnson, Reporter/weekend anchor
Published: December 11, 2022 at 5:08 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX I-TEAM is digging deeper into the death of a high-profile political donor connected to top local and state GOP politicians like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Mayor Lenny Curry.

Kent Stermon, 50, was found dead in the parking lot of the Mayport Post Office Thursday night. Foul play is not suspected in his death, police said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed Stermon was the subject of an “active investigation” that started a few weeks before his death, and News4JAX learned from several sources that the investigation involved sexual misconduct allegations.

The I-TEAM has since confirmed that Stermon, who was not employed by the Sheriff’s Office, was given an access card to JSO headquarters for the past five years -- at the same time, he was donating thousands to GOP candidates, including former Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams.

Among his donations to GOP candidates:

Gov. Ron DeSantis received $6,000 from Stermon, $3,000 from his wife and $53,000 from his political action committee
Lenny Curry’s 2019 campaign received $1,000 from Stermon and $1,000 from his wife
Williams received $12,500 for his election campaign committee
Sheriff T.K. Waters received $12,500 for his election campaign committee
Rep. John Rutherford received $16,800 from Stermon’s Total Military Management company

According to a log from JSO obtained by the I-TEAM, Stermon’s access card stopped being used just a few weeks before his death.

The log revealed Stermon swiped his JSO access card hundreds of times from 2017 until Nov. 15, 2022 -- five days before Waters was sworn in, which means these actions took place during the tenure of former Sheriff Mike Williams and interim Sheriff Pat Ivey. Stermon had swiped the card 87 times since the beginning of 2022.

Attorney John Phillips, who is representing a former JSO officer in litigation, put in a public records request to find out why Stermon was granted so much access.

News4JAX has asked JSO about Stermon’s access. Here are some of the questions we posed to the agency

Why did Stermon have a key card to JSO?
How many other private citizens have a key card to JSO and why?
What was Stermon’s involvement in JSO that brought him there all these times?
What was the nature of his last visit on Nov. 15?

Due to it being the weekend, News4JAX didn’t expect immediate answers from JSO but will push for them once the work week begins.

Days before Stermon’s death, Phillips was in a social media battle with Curry over his concerns of key card use.





https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/202 ... dquarters/

In 2015, Stermon was named Citizen of the Year by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

News4JAX political analyst Rick Mullaney said Stermon has other interests outside of politics.

“For Kent, two of his biggest priorities were higher education in students and law enforcement, also very strong and close relationships with law enforcement in North Florida particularly former sheriff Mike Williams,” Mullaney said. “He certainly never ran for office so you wouldn’t see him that way, he wasn’t on television and he wasn’t in the media but behind the scenes, he was very, very active.”

News4JAX has reached out to the Duval GOP and other local leaders for comment.

Stermon leaves behind his wife and teenage daughter.

RTH10260 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 11, 2022 10:37 pm

High-profile political donor, who was found dead Thursday, had access card to JSO headquarters

Scott Johnson, Reporter/weekend anchor
Published: December 11, 2022 at 5:08 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX I-TEAM is digging deeper into the death of a high-profile political donor connected to top local and state GOP politicians like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Mayor Lenny Curry.

Kent Stermon, 50, was found dead in the parking lot of the Mayport Post Office Thursday night. Foul play is not suspected in his death, police said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed Stermon was the subject of an “active investigation” that started a few weeks before his death, and News4JAX learned from several sources that the investigation involved sexual misconduct allegations.

The I-TEAM has since confirmed that Stermon, who was not employed by the Sheriff’s Office, was given an access card to JSO headquarters for the past five years -- at the same time, he was donating thousands to GOP candidates, including former Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams.

Among his donations to GOP candidates:

Gov. Ron DeSantis received $6,000 from Stermon, $3,000 from his wife and $53,000 from his political action committee
Lenny Curry’s 2019 campaign received $1,000 from Stermon and $1,000 from his wife
Williams received $12,500 for his election campaign committee
Sheriff T.K. Waters received $12,500 for his election campaign committee
Rep. John Rutherford received $16,800 from Stermon’s Total Military Management company

According to a log from JSO obtained by the I-TEAM, Stermon’s access card stopped being used just a few weeks before his death.

The log revealed Stermon swiped his JSO access card hundreds of times from 2017 until Nov. 15, 2022 -- five days before Waters was sworn in, which means these actions took place during the tenure of former Sheriff Mike Williams and interim Sheriff Pat Ivey. Stermon had swiped the card 87 times since the beginning of 2022.

Attorney John Phillips, who is representing a former JSO officer in litigation, put in a public records request to find out why Stermon was granted so much access.

News4JAX has asked JSO about Stermon’s access. Here are some of the questions we posed to the agency

Why did Stermon have a key card to JSO?
How many other private citizens have a key card to JSO and why?
What was Stermon’s involvement in JSO that brought him there all these times?
What was the nature of his last visit on Nov. 15?

Due to it being the weekend, News4JAX didn’t expect immediate answers from JSO but will push for them once the work week begins.

Days before Stermon’s death, Phillips was in a social media battle with Curry over his concerns of key card use.





https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/202 ... dquarters/

Ron DeSantis @GovRonDeSantis wrote: Florida will hold the medical establishment accountable by:
• Creating a grand jury to investigate mRNA shots & Big Pharma
• Investigating cardiac-related deaths tied to the mRNA vaccine
• Forming a Public Health Integrity Committee to oversee the medical establishment

Based on previous endeavors, here’s how this will play out:
- He will get a couple dozen Fox hits from it
- Lots of taxpayer dollars will be wasted
- His wealthy political supporters will make millions off it
- Nothing will happen

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:11 pm Florida politics really is a cesspool.

Mike Lindell questions DeSantis 2022 election win: ‘I don’t believe it’

Caroline Vakil
Fri, December 23, 2022 at 4:10 PM GMT+1

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is questioning whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) legitimately won his reelection bid in Miami-Dade County, saying on his streaming show Tuesday: “I don’t believe it.”

Lindell is a big supporter of former President Trump who has made baseless charges about electoral fraud in the past. DeSantis has emerged as perhaps the most dangerous rival to Trump in a 2024 GOP presidential primary.

Trump has already announced his candidacy. DeSantis has not said if he will run for president.

Lindell specifically questioned the big victory DeSantis won in Miami-Dade County on “The Lindell Report.”

The county, which has traditionally gone for Democrats in past elections, swung for DeSantis during the Florida gubernatorial race by 11 points.

No evidence of fraud has circulated and before the election, a number of observers had pointed to the county and suggested that DeSantis had a chance to pull off a big victory.

But Lindell went after DeSantis over Miami-Dade.

“What we’re doing now is I’m going after [Miami-]Dade County and the 2022 election,” Lindell said.

“I look at deviations, everybody. That’s a deviation. I don’t believe it,” Lindell said, later adding that “I’m going to find out if [Miami-]Dade County – what happened there, because it’s a deviation from norm.”




https://www.yahoo.com/news/mike-lindell ... 46735.html